Watching this in a theatre, filled of fans was amazing. And they were young and old, new and long-time fans alike. And it’s wonderful, seeing the youthful crowd, the new fans, listening to them talk with wonder about the history of the show… I know many olde sk00l Whovians like to scoff and snort and roll their eyes and complain about the new fans. Oh, that breaks my heart. We were all new fans once, we didn’t know the history of the Doctors before we watched. Time for everyone to drink a big glass of Get Over Yourself juice.

But, seriously, sharing it with a group of a couple hundred people, all emotionally invested. The collective laughs, sighs, gasps, cheering, applause. I couldn’t have imagined a better way to see this. And, though it was hard, I managed to see it without any more spoilers.

I see people talking about “mixed feelings” about the episode. Not me. It was wonderful, it was amazing, and it gave me what I’ve been yearning for for the past eight years.

Don’t get me wrong. I understand why they wrote Gallifrey out of the show for the relaunch in 2005. There would be too much backstory, too much baggage, it would weigh down too much and the new fans would be confused, or felt excluded, and they would not have flocked to it the way they did and the show probably would not have had a 50th anniversary special.

It was brilliant, what they did. They wrote Gallifrey out, made The Doctor the “last” of the Time Lords, and Eccleston got to mope and be full of anger and angst – and it was delightful. He was the Wounded Doctor. Rose helped him heal, and then it was time to regenerate.

But, despite knowing all that, I have yearned for the return of Gallifrey. I love the Time Lords (though I do consider them the greatest of all the monsters that The Doctor has ever had to fight off – and I’m not even talking about The Master, my favourite Time Lord of all.) I love the mythos of Gallifrey and the Time Lords and how so many alien races knew of them and they were not hardly ever favorable towards The Doctor’s people.

So, I have been waiting. When we were teased with the return of Gallifrey in The End of Time, oh… my hunger was enflamed. I needed Gallifrey back.

This blog, revisiting (and visiting for the first time, as the case may be) so many stories involving the Time Lords, involving Gallifrey, or involving knowledge OF the Time Lords/Gallifrey… that exacerbated things.

So, walking into this, knowing it was about the War Doctor, knowing that he was responsible, somehow, for the fall of Gallifrey, the end of the Time War… I wasn’t sure what we were going to get, but there was NO WAY IN HELL I remotely thought that we’d get a whisper of a chance of getting Gallifrey back.

I just watched it again, before writing this blog post (Sunday night, about 10:30pm, December 1st.) I cried, several times. I even rewound and watched several scenes more than once… and cried each time.

Tears of joy. Tears of enthrallment, enrapture, amazement.

Tears of hurt, for The Doctors, as Ten and Eleven (hey, that whole numbering thing… I guess we’re just going to have to stick with what we have been doing and have the “War Doctor” sitting between Eight and Nine, unnumbered) join the War Doctor, saying he won’t have to do it on his own.

Tears as I begged them not to do it.

Tears as they didn’t.

And, then, the undreamt. All THIRTEEN Doctors showing up to save the day. Of course it would take all thirteen. How could it not? It had to. Something like this couldn’t be done by one Doctor, not even three.

Gallifrey Falls No More. Oh. Oh, yes. Damn skippy.

And my Doctor. Approximately thirty years ago, I watched Logopolis for the first time ever. And saw my Doctor fall to his death. And regenerate into a mamby-pamby blonde twit. (Ok, I’m being a bit harsh, but I was a teenaged boy who had just lost his Doctor. And Four wasn’t my first Doctor, Three was, actually… but Four is, and always will be MY Doctor.) I lost him and… he never returned. (Not to video, at least – I do understand there are some delightful Big Finish original audios with Tom Baker, so I will have to pursue those.)

I had no idea Tom was in this. I had no clue to expect him.

You should have heard the theatre when he spoke, when he addressed Eleven for the first time. The collective intake of breath… the choked emotions… everyone was stunned (and I’m sure some knew or guessed or something – but I bet you they were caught in the spell, too.)

Oh, this wasn’t going to be a long post, but here we are. I’ve been crying for half of it, too.

I am so excited to see the Christmas special, to see Peter Capaldi step into those shoes. But, for now, I am so, so, so happy and touched and overwhelmed by the 50th anniversary special.

As always, there are still so many questions. Will they go to Trenzalore? Will they find Gallifrey? What IS The Doctor’s name and will we ever learn it? (And my question, will The Doctor ever go visit Susan as he promised?)

Recap: In 1638, The Doctor sent a statue comprised of Gallifrey metal into space. In 1988, it has returned. The Cybermen, Fourth Reich Nazis and an evil sorceress from the 17th century are all after it. The Cybermen have the statue and its arrow, they need only the bow to complete it – and The Doctor and Ace have the bow.

Episode 3:

Ace asks what they can do; The Doctor says their best move is “to go to the crypt, unarmed, with the bow.” He says they need to activate the statue. Ace is reluctant to go, but agrees.

In the crypt, the Reichleader tries to bargain with the Cyberleader. The leader throws gold dust at the Cyberleader, but it doesn’t seem to have the lethal effect he was hoping for.

It turns out that Reichleader’s assistant has turned on him, handing over his leader (and presumably sabotaging the gold dust) in exchange to be made a Cyberman. (He says that the giants are the true master race and he wants to be one.)

The Cyberleader orders for the two of them to “be programmed at once” and sends his men to fetch the bow and kill The Doctor.

Lady Peinforte says she doesn’t understand why Richard continues to serve and protect her, when she does nothing but treat him unkindly.

Richard says they have no more weapons, but she says she has her knowledge and that is weapon enough.

En route, Ace confesses to The Doctor that she’s “really, really scared” and he offers to send her back to the TARDIS, but she refuses. They arrive at the crypt, but then the tape runs out on her ghetto blaster (unknown to them) and the Cybermen regain communication.

The Fourth Reichleader challenges the Cyberleader’s plans, saying they still don’t have the bow. When they say they will soon have it, the Reichleader says The Doctor “is no common adversary, do you think he’s going to walk in and simply hand it over?”

Just then, The Doctor and Ace walk in, the bow in his hand. He greets them, apologises for not being there. The Cyberleader tries to grab the bow, but in a stupid scene, they play keep away with the Cyberleader.

The Doctor makes it over to the statue and touches to bow to it, bringing it to life. While they’re distracted, The Doctor and Ace escape the Cybermen and Reichmen, heading back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor tells Ace that, now that the statue is alive, it will follow the bow.

The statue rises, there are great fireworks and explosions and a scream in the heavens.

Hearing the scream, Lady Peinforte says that Nemesis is come alive and shall be hers.

The TARDIS dematerialises.

Lady Peinforte goes on about how “all power, past, present and future” shall be hers. She gets megalomaniacal, especially when Richard suggests finding shelter. “How dare you! I shall lead and you shall follow,” she rages at him.

Back in 1638, The Doctor considers the chess board while Ace asks what they’re doing there again. He says he doesn’t want the mathematician’s calculations to fall into the wrong hands.

At the same time, she asks about the chess game and he says black is losing. He makes a move, then walks to the other side of the board. She asks if the same person who stole the bow in 1788 was the one who took the mathematician’s notes.

“How should I know, Ace? Questions, questions,” he replies, making a move for the other side of the game.

Ace asks who brought the validium to Earth in the first place. The Doctor makes a couple moves, resulting in a checkmate and win for black. He says it’s time to go, instructing Ace to bring some gold coins.

Having watched a young man hitchhike, Richard tells Lady Peinforte he can acquire a “steed” for them. He goes hitchhiking, but the first several cars pass him by.

The Doctor and Ace return to where the asteroid was cut open, saying the statue will be there shortly. He works on calculations while Ace gets ready with her slingshot and gold coins.

There’s a cute interchange where he reminds her no more explosions, and she quips, “And I’m a better person, as a result, Doctor.” One of the few times she doesn’t call him ‘Professor’.

As Richard continues to fail at hitchhiking, Lady Peinforte sits, murmuring how all will be hers. Finally, she steps out in traffic to flag down a car. They get a ride.

It turns out that the Reich assistant didn’t betray his leader, it was a scam. A ploy to stay alive, it seems.

At the hangar, the statue returns to the asteroid, landing atop it, next to The Doctor. He gives it the bow and it takes it from him.

Richard and Lady Peinforte ride in the limo, where the passenger tries to chat them up. She says she’s there to check out her “roots”. Richard thinks she’s talking about crops.

The statue says, “I am beautiful, am I not,” and Ace replies that she is. The statue says she has had many forms, many of which would horrify her. She says she is whatever she is made to be – since Lady Peinforte called her Nemesis, “I am retribution.”

The woman in the limo tells Richard that she’s traced her family back to this area, dating to the 1600s. Lady Peinforte leans over, “All things will soon be mine.” I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this episode before, as I recall this sequence.

Cybermen enter the hangar, firing at Ace, who runs up a balcony and fires a gold coin into the lead Cyberman’s chest unit. The Cyberleader sends the others to destroy her.

Ace takes out some more Cybermen with gold coins. Others fire on her, but they’ve been assimilated from Stormtroopers, it seems. Ace is pursued further back and loses her bag of coins.

The Doctor has placed the statue back in the asteroid/rock/whatever, planning to send it on course towards the Cyberfleet.

Ace is in the rafters of the hangar, running from pursuit. The Cyberleader and and two Cybermen surround her, and she has only one coin left, but she manages to shoot one and duck as the other two shoot each other. One of them (the Cyberleader?) falls to the ground below.

The Doctor pulls up the Cyberfleet to see how they’re progressing and sees that they’re “right on course”. Nemesis asks what is she to do after destroying the Cyberfleet. He tells her “Reform.”

“You will need me in the future,” the statue says.

“I hope not.”

“That is what you said before,” she reminds him.

“Enough,” he cuts her off.

“And after this, will I have my freedom,” she asks.

“Not yet.”

“When?”

“I told you when,” he says, taking her bow, “things are still imperfect.”

Two Cybermen approach him, but he tricks them into standing behind the rocket (using the bow as bait) as the burners test fire, catching them both in the flames (as well as the bow.)

Up on the rafters, a Cyberman removes the coin from his chest, seems he’s not quite dead, yet. (My guess is Cyberleader.)

The Fourth Reich (all two of them, guess they didn’t want to pay the extras for more than the first two episodes) arrive and take the bow. Guess it wasn’t burnt/melted. The Doctor stands by as the Reichleader stands over the statue, talking to her. She ignores him, but he says it is time to leave.

The Cyberleader (yep, was him) arrives and shoots Reichleader, demanding the bow or he will shoot Ace. Ace grabs the bow, but just then Lady Peinforte and Richard arrive. Lady Peinforte goes on about time and power and space.

The Cyberleader says she is insane. When Ace argues that Nemesis belongs to The Doctor, she says if she has the bow, that is all that matters. Lady Peinforte then tells the Cyberleader that he is nothing, that only The Doctor counts, and even he is just a pawn in her game.

“Listen, you old bag, The Doctor’s just not going to give you the bow,” Ace tells Lady Peinforte. “Tell her, Doctor,” she implores him.

As you can imagine, The Doctor doesn’t tell her. He looks over at Lady Peinforte, who says, “Doctor WHO? Have you never wondered where he came from? Who he is?”

Ace replies that nobody knows who The Doctor is. Lady Peinforte says that she does. The Doctor seems rather uncomfortable at this. Lady Peinforte says that the statue told her, and The Doctor’s discomfort grows.

“All right, so what? He’s a Time Lord, I know that,” Ace retorts.

“Well, Doctor,” Lady Peinforte replies, looking at him.

“If I give you the bow,” he asks.

“Your power becomes mine, but your secrets remain your own.”

He turns to Ace, “It’s all over, Ace, my battle, all my battles.” He says he can only surrender, but not to Lady Peinforte, and hands the bow to the Cyberleader.

“I shall tell them of Gallifrey, tell them of the old time. The time of chaos.” She pauses and he tells her, “be my guest.”

She begins to go on, but the Cyberleader says the secrets of the Time Lords mean nothing to the Cybermen. The Doctor addresses Lady Peinforte, “Thank you for coming to the 20th century and giving me assistance. Thank you for bringing the arrow. You may go now.”

Lady Peinforte is most upset at being spoke to in such a fashion.

“You had the right game,” he tells her, “but the wrong pawn. Check.”

“Enough, Doctor,” the Cyberleader interjects. He orders The Doctor to cancel the destructive capabilities of the statue. The Doctor takes the bow, handing it to the statue, “Do you understand the Cyberleader’s instructions,” he asks it.

“Perfectly,” the statue replies.

Ace begs him not to surrender.

The Cyberleader destroys Ace’s tape and goes on about how the Cyberfleet will convert Earth into a new Mondas. He tells The Doctor that he will allow him to live long enough to see the fleet arrive.

Lady Peinforte screams and leaps into the asteroid-rocket, merging with Nemesis. The rocket launches into space. On the ghetto blaster, they watch the rocket’s progress.

The rocket approaches the fleet and explodes, destroying the entire Cyberfleet. The Cyberleader levels his gun at The Doctor, but Richard grabs an arrow stuck in the TARDIS and stabs it into the heart of the Cyberleader (well the heart of his respiration unit), killing him.

The Doctor thanks him and offers him a lift back to his proper time, which delights Richard to no end.

Later, in 1638, Ace and The Doctor are playing chess; she has realised that when he sent Nemesis off into space, he planned all along for the Cybermen to be here so he could finish them off.

She says there’s still one question he hasn’t answered, but just then Richard and a woman with a lute arrive. He says they may not have this “jazz”, but he thinks he will like this. Richard takes out a flute/recorder and plays with the woman.

The Doctor smiles, listening, as Ace asks, whispering, “Professor, Doctor, who are you?”

The Doctor lifts one finger to his lips in a ‘shhh’ motion… and the final credits roll.

Yes, I’d seen this last episode, if not all three, before. Pretty good, but showing a more manipulating side of The Doctor. Can’t say it’s a bad thing, I’ve liked when The Doctor’s darker side shows through.

Recap: 350 years after he sent it away from Earth, a statue returns. It’s a powerful artifact that a sorceress from 1638, a group of Fourth Reich Nazis and the Cybermen are all after. What more do you need to know?

Episode 2:

The lead Cyberman cyber-recognises (what? Oh, I’m doing it again…) The Doctor, something that’s never happened before when he has a new incarnation. However, it seems they expected him.

The Fourth Reich soldiers open fire on the Cybermen. I’m sure you can guess how well that goes. The Cybermen fire back. The Doctor and Ace take cover while the firefight ensues.

Lady Peinforte shoots a Cyberman with an arrow, which strikes in the chest, and is surprised when it doesn’t go down… but then it does, just belatedly.

The Fourth Reich leader picks up one of her arrows (she missed, another time, apparently. It landed near him, so I’m not sure of the reasoning behind that.) The arrow is gold-tipped – thus the delayed reaction of the effect!

More Cybermen go down due to Lady Peinforte’s arrows. Her man, Richard, is praying, but she tells him to get up, saying they’ll let the two factions destroy each other and take Nemesis for themselves.

The Doctor examines a fallen Cyberman and sees the arrowhead is gold. When Ace goes to touch it, he warns her that it’s been dipped in poison, saying it’s Lady Peinforte’s “calling card”.

Lady Peinforte and Richard spy The Doctor and Ace; she recognises him. The Doctor grabs the silver bow from the case (why the Fourth Reich leader left it laying there, I don’t get) and run off, escaping in the TARDIS.

The Fourth Reich leader sends a man to fetch the bow case, not realising it’s been taken. The Reich men run off and the Cybermen regroup. The lead Cyberman cyber-learns that The Doctor and his companion took the bow, and that Lady Peinforte is there, responsible for killing the Cybermen with arrows.

Lady Peinforte and Richard walk into town. He’s surprised that there are people there, for some reason.

The Cybermen cut into the asteroid.

The Doctor and Ace return to 1638 Windsor; the body is gone. The Doctor finds a piece of paper, saying the mathematician was a genius, but he needed some help to get started in the right direction. The Time Lord takes the paper and burns it in the fireplace.

Ace says she doesn’t like that place and wants to go. The Doctor moves a chess piece (having noticed that the pieces had been moved since their last visit) and they leave.

The Cybermen have cut around the statue and move the rock-encrusted statue into their ship.

Some punks follows Lady Peinforte and Richard in town.

The Cybership flies through the sky.

The Fourth Reich leader prepares some gold dust.

The TARDIS returns to modern day (presumably), and The Doctor and Ace exit. The Time Lord explains that validium was used as a defense for Gallifrey, created by Rassilon, and was never meant to leave his world.

They set off, using the silver bow to be directed to the validium.

The Cybership lands, between trees and a field.

The punks confront Lady Peinforte and Richard. They try to rob them. Richard is not amused.

The silver bow leads The Doctor and Ace to a castle. The Cybermen are set up inside, and are aware of the “remaining validium” approaching.

The two punks are dangling from a tree by their ankles, gagged, blindfolded and bound. Their clothes are burning in a fireplace.

The Doctor and Ace try to use Ace’s ghetto blaster to jam the Cybermen’s communication signal.

The Cyberleader demands that they transmit to the fleet that they have the validium, but his subordinate argues that is not the complete truth as they don’t have the arrow or bow.

Ace’s jazz tape interferes with the Cybermen’s attempt to communicate with the fleet. The Cybermen are not pleased.

The Doctor and Ace find the punks, who say “social workers” did this to them.

Using the arrow to lead her, Richard and Lady Peinforte come to the location of Nemesis, which is part ofLady Peinforte’s estate. Richard whines to return to their proper time and she threatens him to shut up, reminding him if they are not successful in capturing Nemesis, she will leave him here.

He discovers his own grave site, as she explains she gave orders for him to be buried near her. It seems the ‘castle’ where the Cybermen are holed up is her burial… edifice?

Richard is startled by llama which are grazing in the yard. It seems her estate area is now a “safari park”.

Coming through the woods, The Doctor and Ace arrive and see Lady Peinforte and Richard enter ahead of them.

The Cybermen are outside, the Cyberleader saying that being faced with her own death will drive her mad. When they hear her shouting in anger, demanding to know where Nemesis is, the Cyberleader sends his Cybermen after them. Richard starts firing arrows, taking one down.

Outside the estate, the Fourth Reich leader says the estate is that of Lady Peinforte, a 17th century noblewoman. His assistant points out they saw a woman in 17th century garb firing arrows at the battle, but his boss tells him to shut up.

Spying the Cybership, The Doctor and Ace hide in the woods. Ace sneezes, alerting the two human agents who are keeping guard on the ship. (I do hate the sneezing to alert someone to their presence schtick. So fucking old.)

The Doctor asks if Ace might, despite his instructions to the contrary, have any Nitro-9 on her. “Of course not,” she says, “I’m a good girl, I do what I’m told.”

He tells her “to blow up that vehicle,” which brings a grin of childish delight on Ace’s features.

The Cybermen are forced to retreat after the Cyberleader’s CyberSecond CyberArgues that they must choose the course of safer action. (Sorry, doing it again.)

Lady Peinforte realises that Nemesis must be in her tomb. She tells Richard to help her open it.

The Doctor distracts the two goons so Ace can approach the ship. She throws in a backpack of Nitro-9 which completely obliterates the Cybership.

Seeing the explosion from afar, the Fourth Reich go to investigate.

Seeing the goons, the Cyberleader has the two men killed. Ace is horrified that the men were killed for her action.

They open the tomb, Richard asking where her bones are. “What matter,” she replies.

Ace confirms they’re still jamming the Cybersignal.

The Fourth Reich leader and his assistant approach the Cybermen, offering an alliance. He says the Cybermen are “giants”, and they are the “supermen” and are destined to work together. They agree to work together, the Reich taking care of the Lady Peinforte for them, and they will split Earth in two.

After the Reichmen leave, the Cyberleader gives the order to kill them once the arrow and bow are retrieved.

The ghetto box scanner shows the location where the signal is directed, but there’s nothing there. The Doctor says there has to be a force out there, because it’s 1988. He explains that the orbit of Nemesis brought it back every 25 years – 1913 (the eve of the first World War), 1938 (Hitler annexes Austria), 1963 (Kennedy Assassination).

Inside the tomb, Lady Peinforte appreciates the statue. Richard still goes on about her bones, but she says it is no matter. The Reich open fire on the tomb and enter. Richard throws the arrow in the tomb with the statue and drags Lady Peinforte off through a secret exit.

In the tomb, the statue comes to life, grabbing the arrow and clutching it close.

The Cyberleader enters, as the two Reich men plot what to do next. The Reich leader tells him to stay away, as he has Nemesis, and thus power of life and death over everything.

The Cyberleader asks where the bow is and the Reichleader opens the case, only to discover it is gone. (Yeah, I find it hard to believe he wouldn’t have checked before then. Hell, I still refuse to believe he would have left it laying in the middle of a battle.)

The Doctor mopes, holding the bow.

We see a red planet.

The Doctor mopes, and watching a chameleon, suddenly realises, “Of course, it’s so simple! They’re shrouded!” He goes to the scanner and fiddles with it, revealing thousands of Cyberwarships (his word, not mine), waiting… and the credits roll.

I believe I’ve seen this before. At least part of it. Pretty sure. Yeah.

Yeah.

Episode 1:

We open with, a rare thing, a location with a subtitled description – “South America 22nd November 1988”. A jeep is parked in front of a large white house. Well, it was, but then it drives off.

Inside, we see scrolls/maps. An old style phone. A… I wanna call it a trophy, as that’s the best I can describe it… with a swastika atop. “Ride of the Valkyries” is playing in the background. A man works at a computer on the far side of the desk where all the maps are strewn.

On the computer screen, the following is displayed, flashing and beeping:

LANDING LOCATION

WINDSOR

GRID REF: 74W 32N

NOVEMBER 23 1988

On a balcony, a white haired man stands, next to the old school phonograph player, listening to the Wagner music. A parrot cackles from a nearby tree. The old man pulls up a bow and arrow and takes aim, but he is interrupted by the man from the computer.

350 years earlier (as indicated by the subtitles WINDSOR, ENGLAND 1638) a woman takes aim and shoots an arrow at a bird, but misses by an inch. A man, kneeling at her side, praises her, but she looks disgusted. She storms off.

Inside, a man sits in a room with a boiling cauldron, poring over some notes, chuckling happily to himself. The woman from outside storms down the hallway, followed by her man, and they enter the room with the cauldron. She demands, “How much longer,” but her companion tells her that the man cannot hear her.

When he offers to address the man, she instructs her companion to leave. She says, “There’ll be time enough to punish his impertinence when he’s finished.”

She takes an arrow and gives it to her companion, who is reluctant to take it. She tells him the poison will only affect if the tip breaks the skin. “Let who will steal my gold,” she says, turning away from him.

“And the silver arrow, my lady,” he asks.

“Leave that… to me,” she replies. As she regards another arrow, she asks, “You’re sure the potion is well mixed?”

“On my life, ma’am,” he answers. Oh. That doesn’t bode well.

She accepts his guarantee and says they await the calculation; throwing some money in front of the man (who is still working away, paying them no attention), she suggests perhaps that will expedite matters.

Back in South America, the white haired dude is now wearing a snazzy suit. He enters a room, upon which a group of men waiting there stand up. He greets them, wondering if even now, can they full appreciate the importance of this occasion.

The six men are all dressed in camouflage military uniforms. He tells them that they are “standing now at the turning point of history.” He goes on to talk about destiny, how fifty years ago he was there for a beginning, but this time they must not fail.

He takes a drink and toasts them, “Gentlemen, I give you the Fourth Reich.” Everyone present toasts in return, “The Fourth Reich.” That done, he says it is time to leave, and the men depart the room. He stops to take a small silver bow out of a case.

His lackey, the man from the computer, takes out a carrying case and the man places the bow in it. The lackey closes the case.

In outer space, not sure when as we don’t have subtitles this time, what appears to be an asteroid moves through space. It has a hole with a glowing core or something.

Back in 1638, the man working at the table tells his lady that he has finished. She demands he tell her immediately. “The comet, Nemesis, will circle the heavens once every twenty-five years. He says the trajectory is decaying.” She demands to know when it will land.

He says it will circle ever closer, eventually striking Earth at the point where it originally departed from, just outside the estate. Again, she demands to know when. “On the 23rd day of November, in the year of our Lord, 1988.”

We cut to a band playing jazz is a cafe/park area. The Doctor and Ace are seated at one of the tables. Ace reads a paper which has a headline of a meteor approaching England.

The Doctor’s alarm goes off on his fob watch. He says it’s a reminder, to change course to a certain destination, but he’s forgotten where. They head off to the TARDIS so he can find out, but someone opens fire on them.

They run, being shot at as they head to the TARDIS, and fall/jump into some water. Two goons wander by, looking about for them, but don’t see them.

The Doctor drags Ace out of the water.

Back in 1638, the man who’d been working on the calculations goes on about men in flying machines like birds. The woman throws paper down and tells her man to prepare to leave at once. Her man reminds her they need one final ingredient for their potion, human blood, and they both look at the old man.

The Doctor brings Ace’s tape deck out of the TARDIS; she wants to play a tape she bought at the jazz performance, but he says it’s more than a tape deck and there are more important things than her tape. It seems he’s going to use it to figure out what his reminder alarm was about.

As he tinkers with it, he tells her that the alarm is a serious one, an indication that some planet somewhere is facing termination. When calibrated, Ace’s tape deck (one he built for her after hers was destroyed by the Daleks, mind you) projects a holographic display, showing Earth as the planet in danger!

Back in 1638, the lady and her man stand, each holding a goblet. She mocks him for being afraid. She orders him to have courage and drink. She does so, and then he does as well. Lights flicker, their voices grow echoing. She says they go to meet their destiny. He freaks out but she holds on to him, telling him not to break the aura.

They are surrounded by a nimbus of chaotic energy. They both scream as the world changes around them and they find themselves in her house in Windsor, which is now some sort of restaurant or cafe, and people are staring rather surprised at their sudden appearance.

Ace grouses, “So the world’s going to end and you’d forgotten about it.”

“I’ve been busy,” The Doctor retorts.

“How long have you known?”

He says that he’s known since 1638.

In space, something flies towards the Earth. If it’s the meteor/comet, it’s artificial, as it has propulsion jets.

The TARDIS materialises inside a cluttered room. The Doctor says they’re all presents and they have to search for a silver bow. He answers her questions, saying they’re in the vault at Windsor, and they’re not stealing only borrowing.

“It’s probably treason! I’m too young to go to the Tower,” Ace protests. She gets some really wicked lines.

He reminds her that the safety of the world is at stake. It’s totally worth noting that he’s wearing a fez for much of this discourse and then places it on her head.

Nemesis smashes into the ground.

The Doctor tells Aces what the sound/shaking was. She’s amazed, but he says it’s no big deal, since he was the one who launched it into space in the first place.

“This might qualify as the worst miscalculation since life crawled out of the seas on this sad planet,” he says, rather melodramatically.

Ace asks if this is the bow, seemingly having found something.

The Fourth Reich travel in a van. Their leader talks about not keeping history waiting, looking at the silver bow in its case in his lap. It seems they are no longer in South America.

Police arrive at Windsor to investigate the explosion/collision and the lady and her man smash a window to get out.

The van with the Fourth Reich comes to a stop. The leader says that Nemesis has come to ground there. When one of the men urges attacking and take it now, he tells them that there is a statue inside the meteor but it will be too hot for them to handle.

He says, since the English government is unaware of its power, they can allow them to guard it safely until the time is right to collect it. He tells the driver to go to the hotel so they may rest and prepare.

The Doctor says the bow was in the case, but isn’t there any longer. Ace reads that the bow disappeared in 1788, but legend has it that if a place is not kept for the bow, the statue Nemesis will return to Earth to destroy it.

The Doctor says that the legend isn’t wrong, as the statue has just returned.

The lights flicker in the vault, but Ace says it’s no big deal, it’s just the electricity, “it does that sometimes, even in the 1980s.” She asks how a statue can destroy the world, but he says he’ll tell her 350 years ago and he dashes off.

She returns the fez and follows him.

The TARDIS appears in Windsor, 350 years ago. They exit and poke about, and find the dead man (the one who did the calculations.) The Doctor tells Ace to hang back while he covers the body, not wanting her to see the corpse. (It’s funny, she’s so rough and tumble but he babies her so much at times.)

Ace asks who the house belongs to, and The Doctor replies that it’s Lady Peinforte’s house. Seeing the man’s calculations, The Doctor says he’s done very well in the few months since he’d launched the comet, figuring where and when it would return. “And Lady Peinforte’s rewarded him with her usual generosity.”

He explains that the bow belonged to a statue of Peinforte that she had made out of a silver metal that fell to Earth, landing in her meadow.

Ace gets nervous, but The Doctor assures her they’re alone, saying Peinforte is in the future.

The three policemen stand about the smoldering area where Nemesis landed. Peinforte (who is played by Fiona Walker, last seen in the show 24 years prior as Kala in the Hartnell serial THE KEYS OF MARINUS) and her man, Richard, watch as they call for reinforcements.

She is upset about this, but Richard reminds her that they know nothing of the power and even so, without the arrow, it is nothing. (She has the arrow in hand. So, the Nazi has the bow, she has the arrow.) He advises biding their time and watching, waiting for the proper moment to act.

Back in 1638, The Doctor says that Peinforte used the Silver Arrow to get to the future. He says that the metal was more than just silver, it was a living metal, validium. He says it has one purpose, destruction.

She asks more questions, but he says to wait.

The cops try to start their car, but the battery is dead. As they tinker with the car, something rises up out of the ground, spewing a gas that knocks the men out (or kills them, who knows.)

A tour group comes to Windsor castle, where the TARDIS appears. Ace and The Doctor join in the tour group briefly, but then slip off into the royal apartments. They see someone coming with dogs. Ace gets panicky but The Doctor tells her, “Act as if you own the place, it always works.”

The dogs are Corgis, so we know who the woman walking with them is. The Doctor is clueless, saying she looks familiar but he can’t place her, but Ace drags him off before she gets too close.

After Ace clues him in, he says she’s just the person they need to talk to. They rush in after her, but are confronted by a stern man.

Richard whines, saying he’s gone mad. She tells him to man up (my words, not hers.) He asks what she will do with the power of Nemesis, and she says the first thing will be to get vengeance upon “the nameless Doctor whose power is so secretive.” She knows he will be there, too.

She says she has found his secret out. “In good time, I will speak it. I will be his downfall.”

The Doctor and Ace are interrogated. When he explains they’re time travelers, that goes over as well as you might expect. Ace doesn’t help. Neither does telling them the fate of the planet is at risk.

Finally, The Doctor puts on a pair of spectacles and says, his voice strong and strict, YOU WILL BELIEVE ME. YOU WILL NOT MOVE. Turning to Ace, YOU WILL MOVE.

They run off, Ace asking how he did that. “It’s easy, once you know how,” he explains. As the effects don’t last long, they are forced to run away.

The two goons who shot at Ace and The Doctor in the park are greeted by someone off-camera, something seemingly large and ominous. Oooooh, I know what it is….

The two men are wearing headsets/headphones and electricity arcs from the off-camera figure to their headsets.

In the castle, The Doctor gets distracted by a painting, but Ace drags him off. They pass through the tour group, which hold up the pursuit somewhat.

Suddenly, as they run off, Ace stops, seeing a painting of herself hanging in the hall. He explains it hasn’t happened yet, which is why she doesn’t remember it. Their delay allows their pursuit to catch up and they must run off again.

(Okay, this is the running part of the show.)

The Fourth Reich (way more than six this time) unload from the van outside the landing site. (So much for the hotel.) They find the cops KO’d/dead. The leader arrives, saying it is of no importance that the cops were taken out, all that matters is Nemesis is safe.

He places the bow on the comet, but suddenly realises the arrow isn’t there. He orders his men to find it.

The TARDIS materialises and The Doctor and Ace run over, the former saying he hopes they’re not too late.

The old man demands that he hand over the arrow of Nemesis. The Doctor says he doesn’t have it. The old man demands Ace tell him where it is, but she says she doesn’t know anything about it.

The Doctor begins expositioning, I mean explaining to Ace, that for validium to become active, you need a certain quantity. If the bow and arrow were placed in the statue’s hands…

“…you would have the power of life and death,” the Nazi leader interrupts. “Not only over this Earth but any planet in existence.” He compliments The Doctor on his knowledge.

The Time Lord says he simply notices what is obvious, which they don’t. When they ask what he means, he points out the policemen. He tells them that the cops have been attacked “by a technology more advanced and terrible than you can imagine.”

“What technology,” the lead soldier asks, but The Doctor just holds up one finger.

“But you might have also observed the electricity supply being drained over the last few days,” The Doctor continues.

The old Nazi just wants to know where the arrow is. When The Doctor says he can’t, they threaten to shoot Ace.

However, just then, a spacecraft lands. The doors open. “They saved my life, Ace says, but The Doctor says not to thank them.

1950s Earth, Wales. The Doctor and Mel find the holiday camp they were at under attack by the Bannermen “war fleet” (apparently one ship with about 8-10 members of the fleet. Tee hee.) The Bannermen seek the Chimeron Queen, the last of her people, who is in hiding.

The Doctor has just marched into enemy camp, in an attempt to parley and bring out Burton (overseer of the vacation camp) and Mel, but as they leave, they find the might of the amassed Bannermen army (you know, all six of them) cocking and aiming their weapons at their backs.

Episode 3:

They walk on and get on the motorbike, the Bannermen pointing their guns all the while. Gavrok fires a flare into the sky, and the two guards with the Americans as prisoner order the agents to rise up and fit them with a bar with a collar at either end.

The two Bannermen run off as the agents figure out to sit down again. After they leave, Rachel runs over and frees them. (Again, she has the right wrench for the job.)

The two Bannermen hide in ambush, firing upon them, lodging a tracking dart on the motorcycle.

Back at the beehouse, Billy learns from Goronwy as Delta and the young princess watch on. The old man leads them into a room full of jarred honey. The old man goes on about the honey, while Delta feeds the princess more food from a feeder syringe (which we’ve seen them feed her throughout the past two episodes.) Delta says her “singing time” is near, another of the periods of change.

Rachel and the Americans arrive and the beekeeper goes out to greet them, followed by Delta and the princess. Billy, staying behind, swipes three of the syringes as ominous chords strike.

The Bannermen report back that the tracker dart is in place but they lost the two prisoners. Gavrok orders them to pusue. He activates his tracker and gets a signal, but then stops at the TARDIS. He has one of his Bannermen place a device on top and activates some sort of destructive force shield around it.

The Doctor, Mel and Burton bounce through the fields on their motorbike. I guess this is their running scene. There’s a lot of unnecessary riding about here. This is like when they went to Paris and there were lots of scenes about town for no other reason than to show the scenery.

The Doctor stops and takes Mel’s hair ribbon for some purpose. Then, they return to the beekeeper’s, where he asks for some honey. He tells Billy and Rachel to accompany him and Goronwy.

The Bannermen scouts arrive outside the beekeeper’s and see Delta and the princess. Delta searches her purse, realising she’s short on syringes.

The Americans debate calling Washington.

The Bannermen enter the property and take aim at their target(s).

The princess stands up, emitting a sonic shriek. She grows older and taller as we see. The windows behind them blow and the Bannermen stagger from their hiding point, clutching their ears. Delta fires at the Bannermen, and at least one runs away (I believe she killed the other).

The Doctor and others come running up. He says they need to get back to the TARDIS.

The Bannermen ship lands in the nearby field.

The Doctor stars a radio playing some rock and roll, then catches up with everyone else. He swipes a yellow scarf/cloth from Delta and rushes back, slipping it half-way under a door. He hops on the back of Rachel’s motorbike and they leave, followed by the Americans’ car and Billy’s motorbike.

Gavrok and his men disembark, finding the tracker dart that The Doctor left tied to one of the goats, using Mel’s ribbon to keep it on the animal. The Bannerman who ran from the beekeeper’s arrives, alerting his boss where the hideout is.

Hearing the rock and roll playing, Gavrok assumes the others are still there.

The Doctor and others arrive at the TARDIS, but The Doctor realises it’s been booby-trapped. He tells them, but one of the Americans (not Weismuller) says it’s hogwash and walks towards it, reaching out with his hand.

The energy field zaps his hand, but The Doctor pulls him away, saying, “I did warn you. If you’d stepped into that beam, you would have been atomised.” Yes, tell ’em “I told you so,” Doc.

Stupid American.

The Bannermen open fire on the house. At least they’re not Stormtroopers, cuz they’d have missed.

The Doctor has Burton take everyone back to the camp while he tries to figure out how to defuse the booby-trap.

The Bannermen charge the house as “Lollipop” plays. Well, until Gavrok shoots the radio.

Seeing the scarf trailing out from the door, they charge in there. The moment they do, it triggers a chain reaction so the jars of honey collapse onto them. Staggering out, they’re swarmed by the bees.

Billy is sucking down on one of the syringes he swiped. Delta catches him and he fesses, saying that if he comes with her, he’ll have to become one. She says it’s never been used on a human before, but he says it seems to be okay. He points out that his skin and hair are changing already.

As she inspects, she brings her face closer to his and sweet rock and roll music plays in the score. But, before anything happens, Burton arrives to say “we’re ready for you at the office now, Billy.”

Billy picks up a speaker unit and follows.

The Doctor uses the stick to mark out the sonic cone in the dirt around it. Rachel arrives, startling him, but then warns him of the landing Bannermen ship. (Well, war fleet, I guess. I’ve heard of an Army of One, I guess this is a War Fleet of One?)

The Doctor and Rachel return to the camp, getting beeswax from Goronwy, who is engrossed in a book. The Doctor gives orders to barricade the door.

In the office, Burton is swinging his sword, saying he hasn’t used it in forty years, but it’ll do for fighting the Bannermen. (So, he was in WWI, then? I thought maybe he was a Major in WW2. Perhaps he was in both.)

Billy is wiring up some connections. He finishes it up as The Doctor arrives, asking if he’s ready. “Ready to rock and roll,” he replies. He and The Doctor go on the roof top, with the speaker/amplifier.

Gavrok orders his men to kill everyone but the young princess. (Why? If he wants to wipe out the Chimerons, why spare her?) They spot The Doctor and Billy and open fire, chasing them off the roof.

Gavrok blows his horn and looks over at the TARDIS, seeing the circle.

The Doctor and Billy run by the office, where Burton, Delta and the princess wait. The Doctor yells “Now,” and Burton gives Delta a nod. She passes the nod on to the princess, who opens her mouth and a sonic shriek is emitted. The microphone sends it through the PA and the amplifier on top and the Bannermen all collapse, clutching their heads.

Gavrok staggers about, in pain, and steps into the sonic field around the TARDIS and there’s nothing left of him after an explosion.

Everyone celebrates that it’s over. The Bannermen are tied up and Weismuller is gloating that they’re the “sorriest bunch of Bannermen I’ve ever seen.” Delta and the princess arrive, thanking everyone. Mel asks if Billy and The Doctor are all right.

“Yes,” Delta replies, “Billy’s just changing.” Dum dum dum.

Billy, wearing a white spacesuit, is packing. His skin has taken a sheen to it like Delta’s. The Doctor sits, holding Billy’s guitar. The Time Lord is worried about mutations rising from the species-crossing; he understands with the people wiped out, Delta needs a male.

Billy says it’s the only chance.

“I can’t condone this foolishness,” The Doctor says. “But then, love has never been known for its rationality.” I really, really like that line. (Relevant to current shit, you dig?)

Goronwy tells the nameless American about bee stuff and starting a new hive. He then wanders off.

Billy and The Doctor arrive at the Bannermen ship; the Bannermen are tied up inside. Weismuller wishes Delta good luck, saying the Bannermen are all secured for a trip to Mars, or wherever they’re going.

The Doctor and Mel stand, the former watching Rachel, who is obviously upset that Billy is leaving. The Doctor looks thoughtful and Rachel asks what he’s thinking. He replies that he’s wondering what the motorbike would be like with better braking and suspension systems.

“Goodbye, Billy,” she replies, “I won’t forget you either.” Billy tells her to look after the Vincent (his motorbike) and she’s delighted. She hops on it and drives off, not staying to watch the ship leave.

The Doctor and Mel return to the TARDIS (the sonic shield having been drained by destroying Gavrok), but Burton and Goronwy arrive to shake hands and give a jar of 1928 honey, respectively.

Goodbyes are said. The Doctor points out the satellite, which is wedged into the fence of Shangri-La. The Americans are ecstatic at finding it. The Doctor and Mel leave in the TARDIS as Goronwy watches, with a smirk and a wink… and the final credits roll.

Meh. I’m still shaking my head over the “Bannermen War Fleet”, which was one ship with ten or less crew all told. And I thought the US Army’s “Army of One” was something.

Recap: The Doctor and Mel have found themselves on Earth, Wales to be precise. 1950s. They’re at a “holiday camp”, trying to find out who is out to get Delta, the Chimeron Queen. She’s the last of her people, on the run from the Bannermen, lead by Gavrok. She and Mel share a room at the camp, and when we left off, some metal-looking sphere that Delta has been carrying started to hatch, revealing some monster-ish thing inside.

Also, The Doctor and a local girl, Rachel, are being held at gunpoint by one of the aliens, an informer who has already radioed Gavrok about Delta’s location.

Episode 2:

On his ship, Gavrok orders his man to “arm the beacon hunter” and when the order is complied and activated, the informer is vaporised in front The Doctor and Rachel. The explosion renders them unconscious.

Billy walks to Mel and Delta’s chalet door, carrying flowers. Inside, Delta cradles the alien baby, which makes a purring noise. Billy opens the door and stops, seeing the baby in her arms. She says she’s going to trust him and invites him in.

To his credit, he doesn’t freak out or run away. Good Billy. He sits between Delta and Mel, quietly regarding Delta and the baby.

The next morning, a man works with some honeybees, singing to them, as the American agents drive up. They get out and asks him if he’s seen anything weird in the skies – anything falling out, any weird lights. He says there are always weird lights in the skies.

When they ask about the past couple nights, he says he’ll ask his bees, as they know everything. The agents figure him for a nutter (can’t imagine why) and are about to leave when a butterfly lands on the man’s hand. He directs their attention to it, remarking how it is considered one of the most beautiful creatures, but “if you saw a pupae, you’d think it was the ugliest sight you’ve ever seen.”

(And if you’d seen the alien baby, you’d see where they’re going with this, I believe.)

“But you can’t have one without the other,” he says. Like that illustrates any point?

Back at the chalet, Delta holds the baby, which is already transforming, becoming less alien, more human-like. (Before it was a puppet that, as I said, wasn’t horribly different from the hybrid baby on the original V tv show. Now it’s a baby in a costume playing the part.)

Delta says she is the last of the Chimeron people, her planet in the grip of invaders, her people dead. Seeing Mel falling asleep, Delta says they should go out. Billy takes Delta and the baby for a ride on his motorcycle (it’s got a sidecar, so calm down.)

The engine starting up rouses The Doctor who, along with Rachel, are still alseep on the floor of the laundry. Seeing it’s daylight out, he rushes out, just in time to see Billy and Delta driving off.

He goes in and rouses Rachel, who asks what happened to the man with the gun. “I’m afraid he was paid in kind,” The Doctor replies. They rush off “to warn the others that an attack is imminent.”

As a DJ starts playing some wake up music, Rachel and The Doctor wake up Mel, telling she’ll have to wait to sleep. She says Billy was taking Delta to some “beauty spot”. The Doctor says they must convince Burton to evacuate the camp before they can go searching for Billy and Delta.

Billy pulls the motorbike up to a lake and stops and hops off. He takes the baby, remarking that she’s a handful already, and Delta says she’ll double her size in the next couple hours.

Burton argues with The Doctor, Rachel and Mel, not believing that the visitors are not the Happy Hearts Holiday Club, but in fact are from outer space. He says that if The Doctor shows him the spaceship, he’ll believe them.

Mel rouses Murray, warning him that the Bannermen war fleet are on their way.

Burton, having been inside the TARDIS, is convinced. He asks if they can go for a spin, but The Doctor says yes, but it’ll have to wait, and they go off to clear the camp.

Murray tries to get his charges to pack and wait at the bus, but they argue, until he tells them that the Bannermen are on the way, then they panic.

Burton gets on the PA, summoning all staff to the office.

The Doctor gives Murray the crystal, saying it needs another half an hour, and then he and Rachel go on her bike, looking for Delta and Billy.

Burton tells the staff they need to pack for a day or two and be ready to leave. One, the DJ, named Vinny, argues. Burton tells them that there’s a man from the Ministry of Defense and it’s a top secret what’s really going on. Vinny says that if Burton is staying, he will, too, calling Burton “Major”.

Burton tells Vinny that they all have to leave, and says it’s an order.

The baby is now older, has long blonde hair. She moves her mouth but only a shrill sound comes out. Billy says it’s like singing, the noise she’s making. Delta says it’s part song, part defense mechanism.

“Against the Bannermen,” Billy asks, though Delta doesn’t respond.

Rachel and The Doctor stop at Fern Dell, but there’s no sign of Billy, Delta, the baby or bike there.

The staff boards a bus, ready to go. Burton approaches Mel and Murray (the latter who is walking around with the big jar of fluid that’s helping the crystal repair/regrow – considering that he’s the idiot who broke the first one, how wise is this?) and says he’s “not sure what I saw in that police box, but I cannot risk my staff for it.”

Mel assures him he’s doing the right thing. The bus leaves with the staff.

Gavrok orders the scanning of the area for high tech emissions (since they blew up the informer, they didn’t have his signal to track any more. That was kind of dumb.) He’s obsessed with killing Delta.

The American agents are cooking hot dogs (or maybe sausages) over a campfire, arguing again. They do this a lot. I guess Americans argue a lot.

The Doctor and Rachel stop by and ask if they’ve seen a couple on a motorbike, but Weismuller says they haven’t even seen a squirrel that morning. Rachel says there’s one more place to try (of course it’s the last one they’ll be at) and they head off. I guess the American agents are just there for comedic effect? Well, there’s one more episode, maybe they’ll actually have a purpose in the plot by then.

Mel says she doesn’t know about crystals, but it looks ready. Right, so isn’t that a reason to not offer an opinion? I thought Peri was supposed to be the American companion?

Murray agrees and takes it out.

Rachel and The Doctor arrive; they see tire tracks and pass through the gate.

Billy helps feed the baby. She says she needs to get the hatchling back to “the Brood planet” and then she can take the case to judgment. The Doctor and Rachel arrive and bring them up to speed on what’s going on. Everyone rushes off.

The Bannermen have gotten a fix and triangulate coordinates. Their ship lands near the arguing American agents. They see the ship landing and wonder if that’s the satellite. Weismuller says he thought they’d be smaller. When they see the Bannermen approaching, they start to leave, but Gavrok blows his little horn and they stop.

The Bannermen blow up the agents’ equipment and tent; Gavrok leaves two Bannermen (out of maybe six or eight he has with him? Not smart.) to guard the agents.

Murray says the ship is ready and Mel tells him he needs to leave at once. He argues, asking about Delta and The Doctor. She says they can follow in the TARDIS. Murray feels bad about leaving Mel behind, but she insists.

As the engines warm up, the Bannermen arrive and shoot the ship, which blows up. Mel is knocked down, and when she starts to rise, she finds Gavrok standing over her, demanding to know if the Chimeron Queen was on board.

Mel says she’s dead and he questions if she’d lie. She argues that no one could have survived that explosion and he is satisfied with her answer. Pushing her back down with his foot, he turns to his Bannermen, “The Chimerons are finished,” he yells and they all stick out their tongues and hiss/growl, as some sort of cheer.

The two motorbikes pull up, but turn away when the Bannermen start firing at them. Gavrok turns to Mel, screaming at her for lying. His gun in her face, he seems about to shoot, when Burton rushes up behind her, supporting her. Gazing Gavrok in the face, he tells him, “It would be extremely foolish of you to kill her.” He argues she’d be more useful as a hostage, but Gavrok decides the two of them will be better used as bait.

The Doctor has Rachel stop; he waves down Billy and has him stop, saying they’re not being pursued. Rachel is worried about Burton and Mel, and The Doctor says freeing them is of equal importance to finding a safe place for Delta and the baby.

Delta, with her advanced hearing, picks up something, but she’s not sure what it is. She points in a direction and Billy says that’s “old Goronwy’s place”, which is the guy with the bees. Delta says it’s the bees telling them to come.

We briefly see the American agents, being watched by the two Bannermen.

The Doctor and crew meet with Goronwy, who greets everyone, seemingly expecting them. Either that, or he’s just open to random people showing up and asking to stay.

Back at the camp, we see Mel and Burton tied up. The Bannermen stand all about, Gavrok eating some raw meat.

The Doctor arrives, flying a white flag, but Gavrok fires at him, seemingly hitting the tires. The Doctor rants at him for ignoring the flag of truce, but Gavrok isn’t impressed.

The Doctor petitions Gavrok to release the prisoners, saying he’ll speak for him at trial, but the Bannermen leader says he won’t be tried. They continue to argue, the typical bad guy mocking The Doctor’s beliefs in truths and the like.

The argument ends with no resolution. The Doctor says he will leave under the white flag of truce, “And woe betide any man who breaches its integrity.” I like that line. The Doctor storms away, ordering the Bannermen to free the prisoners.

For some reason, they do. The Doctor escorts them back to the motorbike, but suddenly the sound of the Bannermen cocking and aiming their weapons can be heard behind them.

“Actually, I think I may have gone a little too far,” The Doctor says. He, Mel and Burton turn around to face Gavrok… and the credits roll.

Again, not a bad one, but understated. An interesting choice in writing.

Something tells me I’ve seen this, but I have no recollection, so let’s find out.

Episode 1:

We start out with some combat. People on a rise firing at those blow. War games, maybe? Those below are dressed in green and white, those above are in darker colours.

Nope, not war games. The woman in white (she seems to be the only one) and one of the greens make for one of their enemy’s ships and take it, though the green soldier is killed in the process by one of their opponents.

The ship takes off as the other combatants run towards it.

The TARDIS appears in a port. A voice booms “Toll port G7-1-5, please have your credits ready.” The Doctor and Mel exit the TARDIS, both feeling trepidations about where they are.

The tollmaster calls out for them to halt. He exits and greets them, saying they are the Ten billionth customer and the toll fee is waived, as well as a week long vacation on Earth at Disneyland in the year 1959. Mel is excited and begs The Doctor to go. (Right, cuz there’s no way she could have gotten there on her own. It’s a shame she’s not a companion to a time and space traveling alien, ya know?)

Somewhere, we see a car pull up to a police box; a man gets out and uses the phone (so obviously it’s not the TARDIS) and asks to be put through to the White House. (What, so they’re saying there were police boxes in the USA?) He says it’s a “code eleven” priority call.

His companion pulls out a spyglass and starts looking about. The man on the phone (wearing a Yankees hat and jacket) identifies himself as Jerome P Weismuller, and we learn they’re in Wales. (Oh, ok.)

He says “Yes, sir,” a lot and says they’ll “get right on it.” After he gets off the phone, he tells his buddy the reason for the red alert – that Cape Canaveral has launched a rocket with a satellite on it and they’re to track it.

We see a rocket separating, dropping a lower stage.

The Doctor and Mel learn they’re accompanying a tour with a bunch of aliens (who are VERY alien in form, but using a ‘transformation arch’ to assume human likeness.) The Doctor recognises the firm running the tour, NOSTALGIA TRIPS, saying it is “the most notorious travel firm in the five galaxies.”

Mel complains that the space ship looks like “an old bus”, offending the toll master. The pilot, Murray, comes over and introduces himself. When he hears their names, he remarks “knowing Nostalgia Trips, we may need a doctor.”

The Doctor tells Mel to go with them, he’ll follow in the TARDIS. She’s not exactly thrilled. Murray overhears this and defends his ship.

The woman in white covers her green companion’s body in the ship. On a vid screen, a man in black (from the planet) tells her, “You cannot escape me. Wherever you go, I will track you down.”

She tells Gavrok that her people will survive, but he says she is the last. She shoots the screen. They’re in pursuit, but she lands at the space toll and boards the NOSTALGIA TRIPS bus just before it launches. The Doctor, seeing this all, slips into the TARDIS.

On the bus, Murray starts some music, playing Bill Haley and the Comets’ “Rock around the clock” and everyone (but the woman in white) start clapping and singing along.

Back in Wales, the two American agents try to pick up the satellite’s signal.

In orbit, the satellite is released from the rocket.

The woman in white isn’t thrilled about being on the bus. Mel asks Murray about the 50s run; he says he loves it, the clothes and hairstyles. Mel turns and asks where the woman in white is from and she says she’s a Chimeron.

Just then, something strikes the bus. Everyone screams.

The American agents argue whether to call and get the coordinates they need or not. As they argue, the phone rings and Weismuller answers. He gets bad news – the satellite has “gone haywire” and they think it’s going to land near where the agents are.

In the TARDIS, The Doctor watches as the bus seems to be going out of control. He activates some energy field, which seems to stop their out-of-controlness

The bus lands with a bounce, and the TARDIS materialises nearby. Murray says they ran into some space junk (I’m guessing the satellite) and asks what The Doctor did to help – the Time Lord says he generated “an antigravity spiral to halt your descent”.

I’m not sure, but it looks like the satellite’s wedged into the front of the bus. They look around and see they’re not at Disneyland, but outside some amusement park/holiday camp called Shangri-La, and The Doctor says it’s somewhere in Wales.

When Mel isn’t impressed, saying “it looks a bit… grim”, he tells her that “this is the real Fifties.” A man in a red suit walks up, saying he expected them hours ago. He introduces himself as Burton and welcomes them, thinking they’re an expected party, obviously.

He shows them around and shows them to their chalets. The woman in white (Delta, though we don’t know that yet) and Mel are placed in one together. Two of the aliens keep giving Delta strange looks. (One did on the bus, when she mentioned where she was from, the other just started now.)

The Doctor and Murray meet a mechanic who asks what happened to the bus, so they go to the bus and remove the satellite from the front of the bus. The Doctor says it’s a very primitive one, “capable only of the most rudimentary radio transmissions”.

Mel tries to get Delta to talk about whatever is bothering her (she’s visibly on edge), but Delta is rude.

The mechanic is impressed by the engine in the bus. It is a space-engine, after all, but The Doctor gives the lad some instruction while Murray sticks the satellite in the rear hatch of the bus (where the thrusters are.)

Returning from the TARDIS, The Doctor gives Murray a box with the only “Quarb crystal this side of the Softel Nebula”. He hands it to Murray gingerly. You see where this is going, surely?

Murray thanks him as the mechanic brings over the broken crystal. A girl arrives on a scooter/motorbike and is introduced by Billy (the mechanic) as Rachel. She asks them if she can help, and Murray asks, jestingly, if she has a one a five-eighths socket, which she pulls out of her bag.

The Doctor asks if she always carries a full set of tools, and she says that’s what Billy taught her, to always be prepared. The Doctor replies with one of his trademark malapropisms, “A stitch in time fills up space.” (Well, that’s not really one, as malapropisms are supposed to sound similar, that doesn’t. I’m not sure what the term for that is.)

Sure enough, Murray breaks the crystal as he’s trying to replace it. The Doctor says he can have another crystal ready in about twenty-four hours, much to Murray’s relief.

Rachel says they’ll be around for the dance, which delights Murray.

A dinner gong is rang, which frightens Delta. She draws her gun on Mel, demanding to know what that is. Delta asks if she can trust Mel and she says “Yes, completely. Discretion is my middle name.” Mel leaves for dinner and Delta (who still has not been named in the story/dialogue yet) checks on her package, given to her by the dying soldier, what appears to be a metallic sphere of some sort.

At the space toll, Gavrok and his men have taken the tollmaster captive, demanding to know where Delta went. He says it’s confidential, “more than my job’s worth”. When threatened enough, he tells them they went to Disneyland on Earth, but en route they struck a satellite, and went off course.

Gavrok kills the man and tells his men to plot a course for Earth and to have “every informer in the galaxy” looking for her.

We see everyone in the dining hall. Mel joins The Doctor at his table. She tells him that her roommate is on edge and has a gun. Billy sits down across from Delta at the table she’s at.

The Doctor tells Mel, “If she’s who I think she is, she’s in danger.” He says they have to find out if someone there is danger to Delta. Just then, Burton announces that the “Get To Know You” dance is that evening.

We cut to the dance, where Billy is showing The Doctor his sound system. People are dancing about, as Billy returns to the stage to sing with the band. Mel and Murray are dancing. Rachel finds The Doctor in the crowd and they head to the front. We learn that Rachel has a big crush on Billy (he’s the reason why she learned about motorbikes, to get his attention, but says it didn’t work.)

Billy then announces their next song, “Why do fools fall in love”, for a very special lady in the audience. Rachel is happy until she realises he’s intending it for Delta instead. (Who, somehow, has a 50s dress on.)

Upset, Rachel is about to leave but The Doctor and her start dancing.

The American agents are camping and arguing about putting another log on the fire.

Delta storms out of the dance, and The Doctor follows. As he searches, he finds Rachel crying in the camp’s laundry. He consoles her while she cries over Billy. Hearing someone, they hide, as she says they’re not supposed to be there.

One of the guys who’d been giving Delta the looks, the one on the bus, comes in and uses a communicator to contact “the Bannermen leader”, who turns out to be Gavrok. He asks about the reward for the Chimeron queen, and Gavrok confirms, “one million units”. He tells him where she is, gives the location and sends a signal for them to lock in on. Gavrok says the reward will be his when they arrive and signs off.

Just then, The Doctor sneezes. (Really? You know, you can sneeze quietly. You can hold it in. I’m so over this being a plot device for people getting caught. Even 25-26 years ago, this was played out.)

The informer pulls out a gun.

Delta thanks Mel for lending her a dress (okay, that explains that…. except… well, Mel and Delta don’t have horribly similar frames.) Delta thanks her for her kindness, and says there’s something she should know.

Just then, the metallic sphere begins making noise. Pulsating. Then, as it is apparently an egg, hatching. Mel screams as something green and slimy comes out, looking a lot like the alien baby from the V tv show.

The informer has taken The Doctor and Rachel. Seems he knows who The Doctor is, saying his death will make him richer. The Doctor pleads for Rachel’s life, “If you kill for money, then let the girl go.”

“I don’t just kill for money,” the informer replies, “It’s also something I enjoy.” It’s good for a man to enjoy his work, what what?

The Doctor and Rachel look very nervous… and the credits roll.

Well, I think they should have used the hatching egg as the cliffhanger as that last bit was a bit too understated to have much impact. Ah, well. (And, no, I’ve not seen this one before.)